Behold your King !

What a stark contrast!

This is what comes to mind as I watch the presentation of Presidents to the people. There is usually great applause and cheering as the man is introduced. We do not expect to hear people shouting out "away with him, crucify him" as they did when the King of Peace was presented.

We applaud those that are like us.
We feel comfortable with those of "like passions".
We look to them for council and salvation.
We rejoice in the corruptible.

Yet, in all the revelry, I must reflect back to another day when a Prince was brought out before the people and the reaction was far differant.

"And it was the preparation of the passover, and about the sixth hour: and he saith unto the Jews, Behold your King!
But they cried out, Away with him, crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, Shall I crucify your King? The chief priests answered, We have no king but Caesar." (John 19:14-15)

This King, they could not bear. His very presence and unwavering stand for the truth brings uneasiness and conviction to man's sinful heart. This Prince of Glory stands in the world and before the people that He has made and they know Him not or desire Him.
He recieves no applause or pity. (Psa.69:20)
They hate Him unto death!

Why? As Pilate asks, "What evil hath He done?"

Therein lies the crux of the problem. Is this not the very reason for their hatred and revulsion?
He has done no evil and therefore He is so unlike us.
In the light of His countenance man is exposed for what he truly is and we will not tolerate this. We will not have this kind of a man to reign over us!

The cry goes forth, "Not this man, but Barabbas. Now Barabbas was a robber."
(John 18:40)

As extreme as it may at first sound, we are more comfortable with robbers and murderers than we are with this man who "hath done nothing amiss".

As Peter says to the people, "But ye denied the Holy One and the Just, and desired a murderer to be granted unto you;
And killed the Prince of Life,...." (Acts 3:14-15)

And I sincerely believe that if Jesus were here in the flesh today that the cry would still be "away with Him, crucify Him".